Ori and the darkest light Ver:2
by Theultimateace1
Summary: Nearly a year after the forest was blind, it has begun to heal. The minds of its inhabitants, however, are not. The blind hatred between creatures of light and darkness stirs up conflict and leaves room for true evil to grow. Gumo learns more of his species past, while Kuro's son and Ori must deal with distrust and fear. Rated T to be safe
1. Chapter 1: Deceiving Chase

Chapter 1: Deceiving Chase.

* * *

 **This is a tale now told in the forest of Nibel.**

 **It began seasons after the forest's awakening.**

 **Life had slowly crept back into the forest that was left so desolate. As the forest healed, spirit guardians had been reborn. At swallows nest, Ori's new family had grown yet closer together, even gaining a new member.**

 **On the surface, Nibel seemed to be thriving, but evil had a habit of creeping up on them, even in times of joy. If one were to look a little deeper, they might have noticed that tensions had formed and that cracks were starting to spread once again…**

* * *

 _This story starts east of Swallows Nest, past Gumo's hideout and even the Ginso tree. At the edges of Thornfelt swamp, a long tunnel leads to a small autumn clearing. Don't be shy, please enter it with me._

From the above, it would appear calm. _Y_ oung and supple maple trees dot the clearing. Within the interwoven branches, lanterns competed with the setting sun to cast their light on the clearing. Below, squirrels squabbled with each other for the last of the summer's bounty of acorns.

If only life were that simple...

Upon entering this sunset meadow from ground level, you would become witness to a different, horrifying sight. The squirrels ran back into their hollows in fear and surprise as...

A lithe form of pure white dashed from lantern to lantern in a blur of blazing light. This was a spirit guardian, daughter of the spirit tree. She was in flight from a diving figure shrouded in darkness. The great owl slowly gained on the guardian and let out a shriek at the prospect of finally catching his quarry.

Ori, as that was the guardian's name, suddenly changed direction in a last-ditch attempt to throw her pursuer off. It worked, and unable to slow down in time, the owl soared past her in a purple and black blaze of energy. Ori was out and away!

Two more mid-air jumps secured her the second orb that Sien had scattered around the field for her to retrieve. It floated behind her as she ran, beside the first she had pilfered from a treetop. She made a grounded dash for the third and final orb, weaving through the treeline as cover. Oddly enough, the owl seemed to still be looping back around from her earlier faint, his wings were night against the cheerful sky.

Ori pondered this briefly as she ran, looking back again. The owl was still yards behind her but gaining.

Regardless, Ori looked like she was home free. She made a heroic final jump and soared… straight into Coryn's talons. The bird had intercepted her from the side!

Ori let out a shriek as they tumbled onto the ground. After a brief and futile scuffle during which Ori tried to escape, Coryn towered over her and laughed. "I win! Ori was trapped under his talons, still dazed from the impact.

Ori groaned. "Ouch"

It's too easy! I can't believe you fell for that." gloated Kuro's last son.

Ori looked up and gave her adopted brother a bewildered look.

"Whaddya mean," she mewled. She shuffled out from under his talons, still wondering about how she had gotten caught.

"What do you think I mean? I mean you lost again!" replied Coryn, excitement and pride filling his amber eyes. Ori sighed: Her adopted brother could be impossible sometimes.

"But how? One second you were there, and the next…"

Coryn put two and two together and laughed again. "You really don't know? I was never back there, that was all a trick. I was here the whole time, waiting for you."

"That was a decoy?" Ori gasped "But brother, we said no magic!" She gave him a disappointed look.

Coryn gave her the third orb and grinned. "But half of your agility comes from magic, you barely follow your own rules. "

Ori gasped, faking insult. "How could you!? " she got to her feet. "Ya know I could just bash you back whenever you came close if I wanted to right?"

"You could try" Coryn bluffed, but he knew Ori had the upper hand. "Umm.."He tried to think of a way out. "Besides, isn't the whole point of the exercise practice. How are we going to get better if we don't use our magic?"

"Rules are rules, but no matter," Ori said letting it go. "I wonder though," as they walked back to the center of the clearing, how did you even learn that trick in the first place? From some monster in the depths of the forest?"

Coryn cleared his throat and whispered "Quite the opposite, I learned it from Sien."

Ori blinked in surprise. This had not been what she was expecting. She was intrigued, but now was not the time for questions, she had spotted storm clouds rolling in. She nudged Coryn and pointed to the skies. He got the unspoken message and began taking down the course of lanterns they had set up just hours ago.

Unbeknownst to them, someone watched from the nearby bushes, shocked by the duo's unlikely friendship.

* * *

 **Ch1 of my first fanfic, hope you enjoyed my take on the post-game story. Sorry to leave you with the generic "watcher from the shadows" troupe, but I will make better on that soon.**

 **Also, Coryn's name is a reference to GofGH, but it is not the same character. This is not a crossover, that owl is Kuro's son, not Nyra's. Reuploaded with some minor edits.**

 **The game that Ori and Coryn were playing was what I picture to be a childlike reenactment of the events of the blind forest (The three elements), that they played as Ori tried to reclaim her stolen childhood and Coryn tried to learn his powers and his unique place in the world.**

 **Please R &R and thank you for your time.**

 **Edit: Updated into and added a temporary cover. If anyone reading this is an artist or has an image I could use, please pm me.**


	2. Chapter 2: Misguided Ways

**Chapter 2:** _**Misguided Ways**_

* * *

 **After another exciting visit to the autumn clearing, Ori and Coryn are on the long road home, shadowed by a mysterious presence.**

* * *

For Ori and her adopted brother, this trip back to Swallows Nest looked like it would be a long one. Forced to leave the clearing rapidly when a storm rolled in, Ori and Coryn had retreated back into the tunnel through which they had arrived.

* * *

 _? Pov_

Far behind them, a wolflike creature had followed them into the shaky tunnel. It had a white bony crown on its head, angry blue eyes and a black mark around its neck. Otherwise, at a distance, its pure white glow could have made a passerby mistake it for a normal guardian.

This wolf spirit, NiX, came from a faraway part of the forest. At first, once he had seen Ori being chased, he had been tempted to run out and help him.

But something had held him back, and he was glad it did. He was appalled to see this guardian spirit, Ori, blindly playing with this creature of darkness. Why had she aligned herself with this great owl? Had she _**no**_ idea what _**he**_ would do to her? The Others could _never_ be trusted, the scar NiX bore was testament to the inherent evil the darkness heralded! He would have to show her the error in her ways. He pressed on into the darkness, seeking more insight into these strange newcomers.

* * *

 _Coryn and Ori_

The cavernous tunnels were long and winding, with only a few windows to the outside world.

It was closterfobic for Coryn, who loved open spaces, and they could both feel the pressure of the earth above them, and the storm behind.

Day turned to dusk, and all throughout, Ori remained on edge. She had long had a fear of storms, brought on from the day when she had been ripped away from her father.

Coryn comforted her, preening away thorns that were snagged in Ori's bright white fur.

A thunderclap tore the air asunder above, jolting them to there feet and reminding them of the urgency to get home.

"Hurry up!" Ori exclaimed.

"But there's still thorns in your fur!" Coryn exclaimed, concerned for his sister

"I'll be fine! Seriously, the storm is worse than a prick."

"But-"

"Come on." Ori was still touched by her brothers worry, even if she wouldn't admit it.

They continued walking and waddling as the dimly lit tunnel shook after a lightning flinched as the sounds of the storm raged around them. Luminous mushrooms showed themselves whenever they came close, guiding them out. Where there were no flora, Ori's glowing light gave him some visibility. However, this darkness was Coryn's domain, he could see as clear as day, and his excellent hearing gave him the edge. While the sounds of the wind faded, Coryn made note of the annoying pitter-patter of rain behind him.

Something didn't feel right, as they went further from the storm the rain seemed to grow louder, or… was it something else? Coryn signaled to Ori to stop and wait, and after a second, the sounds stopped… Suspicions were instantly confirmed, and Coryn glanced around and glared furiously back at the tunnel and shrieked. It would have been enough to make anyone flee on sight.

Ori's eyes widened, and she gave him a quizzical look.

"Why are you being so paranoid?" Ori asked, and Coryn hurriedly explained his suspicion.

"I... I think I heard something, or someone behind us…. of course it wasn't just the rain… It must be someone following us, I'm sure about it _."_

Ori took him at face value, trusting his superior hearing. She thought about the ramifications of an unannounced visitor for a while and admonished Coryn: she reasoned that whoever it was might not have been hostile, merely scared.

"There are other reasons one might want to be stealthy" she told him.

Despite this, secretly she was glad that any pursuit might have been scared off. She remembered well the feeling of being stalked from her ordeal. She had hoped that the forest would go back to normal after the lesson of the fire, and for the most part it had, but now… There was something different about the forest, an air of distrust and suspense, as though the plants themselves were bracing for the upcoming storm.

For now though, the mushrooms guided them on, towards home. Ori's soft padding walk was accompanied by the click of talons on stone and the occasional flutter of wings.

* * *

The light at the end of the tunnel was no consolation; as soon as they exited the sounds of the swamp mocked them. " _You don't belong here, begone"_ they seemed to whisper.

Not a pleasant place, especially compared to swallows nest or the spirit tree's reborn plains.

To try and combat the loneliness, Ori tried to picture a friendly face. She brought to mind a friendly tortoise-like being that used to live in this area. Samara, was an ancient being of light, covered in runes and full of knowledge. She had taken a liking to Ori, and always entertained Coryn and Ori with her stories and riddles. Their "Aunty" had left now, determined to explore the world once again. Ori missed her, she had always brought lots of childlike fun to Ori's life, something she dearly missed.

Ori shook a little as she heard, deep in the fog, some of the corrupt creatures that had challenged her in the past. While most corruptions had been destroyed by the spirit trees reawakening, some had burrowed deep into the earth and survived. Especially here.

They were both anxious to leave the area, but the swamp's ceiling was still too low for Coryn, who was twice Ori's size, to even attempt flight. Ori stayed by his side as he clumsily shuffled his way through the cavernous swamp. She remembered the dangers of this area from her original journey away from home and was anxious to leave. Restlessness stirred her, and she had to restrain her urge to dash ahead at full speed. She wanted to leave the unknown behind, especially now that she could no longer create soul links.

Reasoning that small talk would be a good way to pass the time, she slipped in closer to Coryn. As small wildlife scattered to make way for the huge owl and the ethereal guardian, Ori spoke to him in a hushed tone.

"So how did Sein teach you this feint trick? It really just doesn't seem like that would be something he would know. "

Coryn turned his head to him, surprised he had broken the silence between them. "Sein told me that it was an ability many creatures of darkness had, including my mother..." After a brief moment of silence to remember his birth mother, he continued.

"He told me to try it, that it should come naturally to me. I was really scared at first, the very idea seemed unnatural, almost wrong. "

Ori nodded in sympathy. It felt the same for her when she had used powers that weren't her own, almost like stealing.

"Anyway, Sein talked me into it, he told me it was just like flying. At first, it had to be a leap of faith and then it would become natural. It took me many tries until I got it. I found that magic was easier to pull off in darkness. It was only indoors that I could pull off vague shadows of myself. We ventured deep into an ancient cave where Sein said my power would be the strongest."

Coryn took a deep breath and continued

"He told me to picture throwing my body forward into space but keeping my feet where they were. I closed my eyes and, with some concentration, it worked!"

Another breath, and another glance around.

"Upon opened them I saw an exact copy of myself in front of me. I scared myself a little bit, and even wondered if I was dreaming. Soon, Sien told me to get over myself and try controlling it with my mind. It took some meditation, and a change in perspective, but I learned to get the decoy to move. Unfortunately, whenever it touches something it disappears. I wanted to show it to Gumo. He always seems interested in all things ancient magic, but I suppose you were the first one to see me try it. "

They continued their walk towards the gates of the swamp and the Ginso tree. Every step was one closer to home and Narus love and care.

* * *

 _NiX_

As he pursued Ori, he was quiet and careful to avoid alerting the owl. He knew he definitely did not want a repeat of the tunnel incident. That great owl reminded him much of Kuro, the only difference was size. While he might have stood a chance against him in the confined space, he did not want to risk combat.

This was especially true when he clearly had so much to learn about them. He was dismayed to discover this mysterious Sein, who was clearly mentoring both of them. He began to consider Ori a traitor to his kind, as Ori had even gone so far as calling the abomination " _brother_ ".

He shook his head; this guardian made him sick. Surely his own clanmates would like to know about this. He would see where the pair lived and then bring down the fury of his pack on them. This was his way, and his parents before him.

This is how his kind had operated since the forest had been opened up to them once again.

* * *

 _Ori_

The ground grew harder and rockier under her paws as they left the swamp. They were close to the caves that lead to the Ginso tree, and from there, getting home would be easy.

Ori considered all she had learned recently when they reached the cave at end of the marshes. She questioned why Sien had hidden so much information from her.

Troubled, she voiced her concerns while they walked into the darkness of the high cave.

"Coryn, it really is impressive how much you've accomplished, but do you have any idea why Sien wouldn't tell any of us what you were learning?" The owl paused and considered for a second.

"I don't know for sure, but I think that -"

Coryn never got the chance to finish his sentence.

Spindly legs erupted from the ground and a giant, corrupted spider pulled its swollen body up to face the intruders. It was, by Ori's estimates, nearly ten times the size of a normal one in the area. It was swollen and engorged. The corruption on its skin and spiny legs was horrendous. It staggered and swiveled it's head around, clipping its mandibles. It had not seen them yet, but when it did...

* * *

 _NiX_

In the darkness, NiX had a sharp grin as he looked on. "It would be nice," he considered "to see how they handle themselves in combat. If that bird gets killed in the battle, that's all the better!" Even as he looked on, he felt some fear. What if the spider caused the whole place to come crashing down? And Ori was a creature of light, even if he was a misled one. These qualms disappeared when he looked back to the face of Coryn. He moved to shut the spirit gates.

* * *

 **Man, I seem to love leaving you guys on cliffhangers. Hopefully, I can publish Ch3 soon, life has been busy.**

 **Edit: Updated formatting to make the story more consistent. Added some dialog and corrected some minor errors.**


	3. Chapter 3: A Colossal Menace

**Chapter 3:** _ **A**_ _**Colossal Menace**_

* * *

High above, stalactites quaked as the giant spider shook itself off. Its eight swollen eyes searched for the source of the vibrations that had disturbed it.

Below, still escaping its notice, Ori readied herself for the battle ahead, and for the spider's wrath. Despite the spider's size and the potency of its venom, Ori felt optimistic. She had bested greater foes than this by herself, and today she still was still rested and strong. This confidence all fell apart, however, when she realized she had no spirit links. _Death here was permanent._ The spirit tree was no longer focused solely on keeping her alive, and therefore, Ori no longer had the luxury of a second chance.

She glanced to her right, towards Coryn. He was looking up, amber eyes filled with shock at seeing a large corruption for the first time. He adopted an instinctual defensive stance, widening out his profile. Ori knew from experience that this was a mistake.

* * *

Brain still half asleep, the spider identified Coryn as the greatest threat and crawled towards him. The small guardian was just an afterthought, at least until a blast of white energy shook the spider's fat body. Ori had damaged the spider with his blast, but she could not use her full power with Coryn standing so nearby. The spider shuddered from the impact, the mutated flesh surrounding it boiled away slightly. It lowered its head towards Ori, giving her a look of pure malice.

Ori screamed for Coryn to take flight, but had no time to look. She had to shift her attention back to the snapping fangs of the monstrous corruption. She backflipped away from the spider's lunge and, praying Coryn was safe, unleashed a volley of spirit fire from her paws. The glowing bursts of light arced straight into the spider's face, but the beast barely flinched. It must have been the element of surprise that enabled the first attack.

The spider raised its mandibles and spat a glob of steaming, acidic puss at Ori. Ori simply stepped to the side and returned fire, but she knew the spider would tire her out before she could deal any real damage…

Suddenly, from the darkness, Coryn slashed down from the skies, severing one of the spider's legs in a sudden burst of speed and agility.

"LET'S GO!"

Ori cheered Coryn on as he struck again at its abdomen, his claws leaving long gashes in its exoskeleton. The spider shrieked, but it was so intent on killing Ori that it barely slowed down. It raised one of its surviving legs up and brought it earthward in a deadly slashing attack. The strike would surely have extinguished Ori's light had she not leaped back with perfect timing. Practice had payed off.

The ground shook and was thrown up all around her, but she now had time to retreat and figure out a way out of this horrible situation.

Ori glanced around as she ran. In the chaos, the gate to the swamp had closed. Or... had someone closed it? The only other gate was blocked by the spider's body as it tried to swat down Coryn. The way out seemed to be by destroying the spider, and that was no easy task...

* * *

 _Meanwhile, overhead_

Coryn flew erratically through the air, trying to find an opening in the spider's guard. He was not expecting the corruption to be as vicious as this. He tried to summon a decoy or use any of the magic Sien had tried to teach him, but it was to no avail. He snapped back to reality in time to dodge an acid spray from the spider's maw. It splattered on the cave ceiling behind him, too close for comfort.

* * *

 _Ori_

At that moment, Ori felt the spark of an idea. As she watched Coryn dance around the giant spider, she asked herself: how could such a monstrosity be destroyed? Only one foe had stood up to her spirit flame like the spider… How had she defeated _her_? Just as she had when Kuro had barred the way, Ori looked up . She scanned cave, tuning out the sounds of battle and trying to focus… There! It was a boulder, teetering on the brink of oblivion. It looked like it should have fallen years ago, only connected to the ceiling by a thin weave of rock as it was...

Ori smirked slightly. She had little doubt she could bring it down on the corruption. A blast to break it off would take some concentration, but it would probably end the spider; at least partially crushing it. The issue came with making it up to the cave ceiling. She scanned the wall for a safe path up, calculating her jumps up, but finding nothing.

* * *

 _Coryn_

Above, Coryn was paying a high price for each of Ori's seconds out of the fight. He looked around: "Were was Ori?!" he asked himself as he flew. The wind whistled in his ears as darted through the cave, dodging the spider's predictable attacks. Now that he had gotten over his initial shock, he had been convincingly strong in the fight, but apart from his first strike, he could do little to slow the spider down. Suddenly, pain flared through his left wing. A single drop of acid had landed on him, and it seared his feathers. He shrieked in pain but did not let it break his focus.

Suddenly, pain flared through his left wing. A single drop of acid had landed on him, and it seared his feathers, burning away at him. He shrieked in pain but did not let it break his focus. He trusted Ori, and wanted to buy time for her, whatever she was doing.

* * *

 _Ori_

Ori watched the fight in dismay. It looked like if it was allowed to drag on, there would be no real contest. Ending it early would be a challenge, she would have to scale the cave walls, and there seemed to be no safe path up. The spider would probably just pick her off.

Ori considered trying to climb the spider to reach the outcrop. On second thought, she dismissed it. It seemed was too dangerous and stupid to be anything but a last resort. She realized that she needed Coryn's help, and his help seemed to be in short supply.

* * *

 _Above_

Coryn was slowly losing the battle for the skies. The spider was so large, it was impossible to focus on all of its instruments of death. His wingbeats and his mind were starting to stall as he struggled to dodge the numerous projectiles thrown up at him. He spun to the right to avoid one of the spider's spiny legs and countered by raking his claws across the spider's eyes. He pulled out of his dive just as the ground rushed up to meet him. The spider lashed out in a half-blind fury. One of the spider's shots flew true, and Coryn raised his wing in a last-second attempt to protect his body.

Ori was watching in horror as her last hope of victory was about to go down in flames.

She dashed forward, desperate to try and distract the spider or do anything to save her brother.

Coryn braced himself, anticipating the pain. Hopefully, Ori had made it out. He had just enough time to stare death in the face before it hit him.

 _ **Light**_ and _**fire**_ starburst in the air as the spider's shot detonated, and then dissipated.

High above, the rock shook and shuddered. Ori stared into the sky, wide-eyed with awe and sadness. A pitch black comet crashed towards the ground, and all Coryn was aware of was the whistling of wind around him, and then the cruel pain of landfall…

* * *

 **Did someone say that Ori and the Blind Forest lacked bosses?**

 **Edit: Sorry for the massive delay in uploading this, I took it down for maintenance and basically discovered a million writing errors. I also added more to the second half, so now it's split into three chapters. Ch 4 on the way**


	4. Chapter 4: Angel of Light

**Ch 4: Angel of Light**

* * *

The smoke cleared and Ori stood, eyes watering. The spider towered above her, and Ori's mind was a blank slate etched with a single word, victory.

Her brother was dead in her eyes, and that made this stupid spider his murderer. With no more thought of her own safety, she dashed towards it, her feet light on the ground. The corruption swiped at her, but she was ready and waiting. She jumped over its strike and used Leru's*1 power to climb on its head.

Ori was normally a kind and gentle creature, but this corruption had gone too far. Her light blazed as she ran across it, scorching the spider. The spider let out a cry of pain, but Ori had no sympathy left for it. She was an angel of light and vengeance

Firing two more bolts behind her, she jumped from its abdomen toward the cavern walls. She looked as though she would fall to the stone below, but she had a trick up her sleeve. At the apex of her jump, she hurled herself the remaining distance using Leru's gift*. She scrambled to onto the way chalky wall as it crumbled away under her paws, but she eventually got a foothold. Ori hurriedly glanced over her shoulder, expecting to find fangs in her back at any moment.

Thankfully, the spider was still scuttling around on its six uninjured legs. It had probably lost sight of her and she was free to begin the ascent without interference.

* * *

 _"Up and over"_ was now the mantra Ori repeated in her head to stay calm as she maneuvered around the overhangs. She was out of practice and had to strain her forelegs to aviod slipping down. Despite her hardships, slowly but surely she made progress, closing in on her final destination.

Meanwhile, the spider's eight scarred eyes searched for the guardian. It had turned around to face the wall, fangs ready to kill. Fortunately for Ori, it did not spot her until she had reached the boulder above.

* * *

 _Focus_

* * *

 **Ori tried to clear her mind, to attain the zen-like focus she needed to focus her light. A thin, laser-like beam of energy shot from her paw and glanced off the rock. She pushed harder, forcing the power out of her. Thoughts of Coryn, the spider, and her family raced through her mind, in equal parts they broke and strengthened her concentration.  
**

Ori could feel the rock beginning to shudder and break free when the spider struck.

Some sixth sense alerted her. She felt the hair on her neck stand up and she looked down to see the spider slashing at her with one of its serrated legs. Bailing on her task, Ori jumped off the small ledge and into freefall.

For only a second did she look back.

The rock had taken the strike in her place. It snapped from the ceiling in a cloud of shrapnel and fell. The spider had completed Ori's deadly work for her, sealing its own fate.

The rock fell on the fat body of the spider with a tremendous crash. It screeched, writhed and then it closed its eyes in death. Its crushed body and many wounds had taken their toll.

Ori landed with a thud using Ilo's*2 power. She was only slightly dazed from her fall thanks to her shield. She jumped, ears perked up, detecting motion behind her. The sounds of stone sliding on stone had alerted her to the ancient gates shuddering open. With a crash, they slammed into place, clearing the way out.

Ironic, thought Ori, that the gates built for protection had trapped her, time and time again in places like this. This time, it had almost lead to her demise.

Thankfully, although she stung all over, and was cramped from exertion, Ori had sustained no serious injuries during the battle.

With danger no longer looming over her, Ori glanced around the battle-scarred cave.

The spider was crushed under the bolder, only its legs twitched in death.

Looking at it reminded her of what it had done, and she looked around for her brother. When she spotted Coryn, bloody and unconscious, she instantly ran to his side, fearing the worst.

The sight was heartbreaking for Ori, but she held some hope. Coryn was still young and resilient, and his kind could survive terrible injury. She felt around his down for a pulse and fought back a gag when she saw his facial burns.

She flinched, reminded of how the corruptions' attacks had stung like acid, burning her fur and leading to her eventual demise time and time again.

After an eternity, she found a light pulse within his broken bones. Realizing she had at least some time, Ori briefly left the bloodied bird on the ground. She bolted out of the cave and towards one of the healing plants that she had used long ago. Her brother's life was on the line!

* * *

 ** _*1: Double jump *2 Stomp_ **

**The first half of Ch5 is actually much more filler than actual content.**

 **Skip to the second divider to ignore some of the necessary closing of plot holes. =)**


	5. Chapter 5: String of life

**Ch5: The string of life.**

* * *

Ori dashed out of the cave and into the nighttime swamp, desperate to help her mortally injured brother.

The air was thick and humid, the grass and reeds below soft on her feet and the Ginso tree towered high above. Thunderous water gushed from its dominating peak; flowing towards dark corners and crevices of the ancient site and filling all but a few.

The resident creatures seemed to have disappeared for the night, leaving only the spinebrushes sucking water from the ground. They had only multiplied since the calamity.

And yet despite the danger, in the purple and black misty hazes, the swamp was truly stunning. It seemed to be alive, breathing, powerful.

Ori had no appreciation of the nighttime beauty though, her world had devolved into streaks of grey and white as she raced against time to save Coryn. She prayed that she could make it. For her, the loss would be unbearable. She _had_ to something to help.

The night deepened as Ori ran, jumped and twirled over and around the water. She recalled vaguely the joy of roaming the swamp for the first time after the waters of Nible had come crashing down from the now purified Ginso tree… that joyful swamp was all gone now. In the time in which the forest overall had grown more peaceful the swamp had changed from a near oasis. Over time, dangers like the spider had regrown and re-emerged, as the spirit tree was unable to purify them in this sheltered place.

Ori knew that ahead, somewhere, was a healing plant. She needed it, badly, and finding it again looked… challenging. The green pods blent in with the landscape, and Ori's memory was hazy about the incident when she had used it for the first time.

 _She remembered that she had just made her Ginso escape. Hurt from the terrifying fall, Gumo had taken her someplace near the water and then…. and then?_

She shook her head, the memory evading her search. Her mind was made up though, she had to keep searching for the plant she knew was somewhere nearby

Even though her unusually photographic memory was blurred, Ori remembered the general area in which she had found the plant. She ran onward, hoping her vague impulses would be a sufficient guide. They had rarely failed her before, after all.

Ori left the central glade, veering sharply into the treeline trails. Ori progressed rapidly while the going was good; but soon the path narrowed. The route from here was narrow, muddy, and curved, a dried stream from aeons past. The tight waterpath twisted and turned through the devolving scenery, before eventually taking a sharp turn for the worse. Ori took a sharp left, and her ears perked up, sensing danger. The distant sound of corruptions punctuated the air. In this place, the nightshadows deepened, and Ori skidded to a halt, trying to judge her surroundings.

The path was surrounded by rocks and the husks of trees not yet regrown, and ahead, thorns barred the way to Coryn's salvation. Only one way through...

There were gaps in the red brambles, but Ori could only see so far into the darkness. She shivered, uncertain, reconsidering. A drawn-out silence echoed through the canopy, and then, after several brief seconds of consideration, Ori plunged in, disregarding the danger. Her decision was made for her by desperation...

* * *

 _NiX, back at the cave_

NiX stood in front of the crushed spider's twitching legs, slack-jawed. Even with its corruption beginning to boil away, and its light returning to the earth, it still looked threatening.

NiX had been watching the fight totally undetected and was surprised that they had managed to defeat the Thornfelt spider. They were not the first ones that had fallen prey to its trap, but they were the first to survive.

Well... "Survive" was a loose term. They hadn't gotten out scot free.

Now, Coryn lay below him, hurt, cold and isolated on the cave floor, an easy target. NiX jumped down from his ledge and stalked over to him.

 _Had Ori just left him for dead?_

He snarled, charging his teeth with brilliant white energy, ready to exact revenge for the trials of his past. He leaned in closer to deliver the deadly bite, but something stopped him. He heard Coryn whispering names in his sleep.

" _Naru, Coryn. Ori, Gumo, Sien. Please". He_ was repeating them, over and over.

NiX pulled back, unease filing his stomach. Were these people his family? Was he really a killer of the powerless? Was it justified to take a life?

" _Gulp... Maybe, it's better to let nature take its course. Less blood on my hands."_ NiX reasoned.

He turned tail, retreating back up to the ledge, to reflect on his decisions. He would wait and observe, as he always seemed to do these days.

* * *

 _Ori_

For Ori, seconds felt like hours as she dashed and jumped through the cutting barbs.

The reverberating slamming of the stone pillars nearby gave a bleak and jarring rhythm to her acrobatics, reminding her of every moment's passage, like a ticking time bomb. Ori felt more apprehensive and anxious with each leap. She had no spirit links anywhere, and so much was at stake. The darkness deepened around her light as she ran, all consuming.

* * *

 _It was brutal._

* * *

White fur got caught on the brambles and tore off every time she misjudged distance. Ori began to dread the blind jumps, expecting to land, impaled, on a wicked thorn. Dusk had passed, it was nighttime; Ori's faint glow was no longer adequate to see…

 **Spirit energy flared up in her paw, casting a pale glow on the surroundings.**

Ori knew that this light would tire her out, but she was far too scared to continue onward in darkness. Now, Ori could see a little more than the forest of spines around her and the rocks that she had to stand on. She could see the Ginso tree above, it seemed she had looped back towards it. The thunderous water rushed in her ears. Bugs had begun to swirl around her flame, drawn to her by the false moonlight, casting fleeting shadows on everything. In this uncertain light, the brambles seemed to converge on her. With each step or jump forward, they narrowed her path, harassing and poking her, slowing progress greatly.

As a sad sign of the times, in scattered places the path had vanished entirely due to disuse.

There was no conventional way forward, as not even the armoured creatures ventured this deep into the rows of spines.

Ori needed to push on, and decided to trailblaze through the converging thorns with her valuable spirit light. Scorching the spines drained her even more, and left her breathless after each use. Ori found some success with this tactic, the stalks recoiled from the heat, and she could continue on. She was grimly reminded of her time lost in the misty woods, lost and searching for the gumon seal.

Soon, Ori began to find herself wishing for Sien's effortless power. It had been so much easier adventuring with him. Now, she had no one by her side, not even Coryn.

Finally, with no room for error, and even less time, hopelessness began to settle in…

As she continued on, the light in her paw began to flicker in and out of existence, replaced solely by the moon's glow. Finally, exhausted and scared, Ori began to reconsider her directions.

" _Have I already passed the herb? I'll try and push just a little farther before I check back."_

After a few more stressful jumps down the path, and the narrow avoidance of a sleeping corruption, Ori breathed a sigh of relief. At last, the brambles thinned, giving Ori the opportunity to duck out of the path and look around. Dark brown plants and water surrounded her, and the Ginso tree towered overhead, jets of life-giving water rushing through it. This could not be the place she remembered. There was nothing even remotely light green in sight and she was too close to the tree…

Heartbroken, Ori turned around.

She plodded along, defeated by her own memory. She strained her mind, trying to picture the scene in more detail.

 _Step by step,_ she told herself.

 _1: Kuro had thrown her from the top of the Ginso tree._

 _2: After the fateful moment were Gumo had caught her, she had sustained severe injuries from her last-second escape._

 _3: Upon his realization of Ori's wounds, Gumo had taken her off to the side, away from the tree._

 _4: He had brought her to a pond near these thorns, and there, somewhere, the plant had saved her._

Ori prayed to the spirit tree that the plant had regrown and looked around for landmarks. A boulder stood, creating a fork in the road. She saw her own paw prints leading off to the left, back into the grey spines. _Not that way then…_

Her ears perked up when she heard the sounds of running water from the right.

" _That way then"_ she said aloud and took off towards it. While Ori ran, she glanced around at the lush marshlands for the silvery pond that she remembered.

 _ **There!**_

She had almost lost all hope, but the shimmer of moonlight on water showed her the path. She entered the pond and saw that the plant had indeed survived and regrown, just like she hoped Coryn would. That is, she reminded herself, only if she made it back in time.

There was little of the green slime, but its healing capacity was deceptive. Hoping it was enough, she snagged the plant over her scratched fur.

* * *

The return trip was painful, but she pushed past it, knowing how much worse her brother must be feeling. The path was already cleared, and the journey was uneventful. Ori ran quickly, but she wondered if all the speed in the world would be enough.

* * *

She re-entered the cave, panting for air.

Ignoring the twitching body of the spider, Ori ran straight towards Coryn. He was in a bad state. The gashes from the impact had worsened since she had left, and they bled profusely.

Ori shook in sympathetic pain for her friend. She needed to help him now.

She laid the pod over him and watched anxiously as it seeped into his injuries. It did nothing to clear the blood that matted his torn feathers, or to heal his broken bones, but it closed some of the wounds. Coryn shook slightly in response to the soothing plant, and his beak opened, emitting a week sound.

After some comforting words from Ori, he opened his eyes, groaning in pain.

Ori "shushed" him, but in his fevered state, he continued to talk. His eyes had dilated in fear.

"HH… How-Why…. The spider!" A note of urgency had crept into his voice.

Ori reassured him" You don't have to worry, it's gone." She hoped that that answer would satisfy him, but he started speaking faster.

"How am I alive?" Not giving Ori time to answer, he continued with a torrent of questions "What happened when I was out? Why does my entire body hurt so much?" Ori was not sure how to respond to these queries tactfully. She definitely did not want to panic him, but she knew from experience that these spiders, (regardless of size), were poisonous.

As Ori tried to answer Coryn's queries, she tried to think of a way to help him. She knew that the effects of the venom might soon make recovery impossible. She needed a way to expel the poison, but there were no more healing plants in the area. There was, however, a spirit well not too far off. Could that even work its healing on him? She had to try…

* * *

 **Coryn**

Coryn was still trying to piece together everything.

The pain of landing had left his head ringing. He could definitely feel that something was not quite right on the wing he had landed on. It hung limply at an alarming angle. How then, was it not burned like his face?

He also had become aware of a sickly burning feeling from his stomach. Slowly, it seemed to intensify, building into a cramp. Did Ori just mention poison? He became aware of Ori calling him to stand up. Why? She seemed to be telling him that he had to get to a spirit well.

Coryn could not quite place what that was, but it sounded important. He tried, at first unsuccessfully, to get his talons back on the ground. With an effort so great he nearly blacked out, Coryn rolled over and staggered up. Ori clambered under his unbroken wing, and together they inched their way out of the cave.

Outside, the storm still raged, pelting Coryn as Ori guided him forward. As they continued uphill, Coryn's stomach cramps grew worse. The pain was now nearly unbearable.

He asked a simple question "Ori, is this what you had to go through a year ago?"

From under his wing, Ori gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod.

They walked on in silence…

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the cave, NiX cursed his own softness. It looked as though he had passed up too many opportunities to end this, and now Coryn might survive.

All through the night NiX had watched them struggle from the sidelines. He was sure that in the end, they would lose, but such a monster deserved to be destroyed. Halfway through the fight, he had even begun to silently cheer Ori on. Grudgingly, NiX admitted that they were both brave and creative...

Despite this, NiX had convinced himself that he should not interfere after closing the gates, and had to merely observe. He wasn't even sure which side he would have chosen had he jumped in. He gave a rough approximation of a frown at his own hesitation. He knew what Zaroth would have done.

During the time of the calamity, he had trained in destroying corruptions, but directly hurting anything more than a mindless foe was still hard for him. He was still young, the act of killing was unnatural for him. He would head home, and work with his clan to overcome this nagging reluctance. He disliked the idea of doing the dirty work, but hatred towards others has a naging way of overcoming such obstacles .

He was unsure whether the owl, Ori called him Coryn, would survive, but if he had…. It looked like he might have to complete what the spider started. NiX almost regretted that he had to condemn them to that sad fate. Almost…

NiX then cleared his mind and reminded himself of what had happened to him and his family when the forest was blind...

 **Coryn**

Plants swam around in his vision. Dark clouds loomed over the usually cheerful swamp, matching the mood that had settled over Coryn. It looked like it would be an uphill battle for him, and he was already exhausted. He put his head down and kept walking.

Finally, the broken ruins of the fountain came into view. Here, the presence of the spirit tree was almost tangible. Coryn began putting more weight onto Ori as his stamina gave in.

Ori tugged Coryn's wing forward desperately. She was not going to lose another member of her family, she simply would not allow it.

Coryn's body spasmed with pain, and Ori flinched with sympathy. Coryn looked into her black eyes and shared his thoughts.

"Ori" He wheezed "A- Are you sure this is the place that can heal me?"

Ori mumbled, "I'm sure it is." Coryn looked up doubtfully and then averted his eyes from the fountain's radiance. Mabey she _was_ right. Soon, Ori and Coryn peered over into the light. Ori felt attracted to and comforted by the warmth, so it shocked her when Coryn covered his eyes and backed away.

"Ori, this is madness, this well won't save me, and it'll kill me for sure!"

Ori squirmed guiltily" Coryn please" She begged, "At least this way there is hope."

"But the light, it will burn me. You, more than anyone, know what the spirit tree's power did to my mom!" Coryn pleaded "My siblings too. Please, don't let this be my end."

"Even if you don't try to enter, the poison will kill you for sure." Ori flinched at the hard truth, even as she spoke it. "Please, even if there is just a slim chance that it can save you, just do it for Naru… For your new family"

Taking a step forward, Coryn sighed in sadness. Pain enveloped his entire body. He looked down into the well. It was scalding light, with no clear bottom. The light was something his kind feared, but something he had been told to love. Turning back to Ori, he spoke out.

" _Thank you sister, for everything, for all of your kindness."_

" _And if this is goodbye, then I'll do what I must. "_

He turned back to Ori, wrapping both of his wings around him in a tight embrace.

Then, very bravely, Coryn took the plunge into the spirit well, unsure what it would bring.

* * *

 **Chapter 6 will be greatly delayed thanks to a small 2016 indie game about a mute that stole my heart. That and end of year exams... This is also the third time we have left off with Coryn in great danger. I need to stop making the poor owl suffer.**

 **Also to add clarity to how I depict the spirit well, I picture it as being a deep, light-filled pit, where Ori could heal herself in the spirit trees presence.**

 **Edit: I'm terribly sorry, I've let this thing die on me...**

 **Finally got some free time after a roller coaster ride of a summer where I had almost no time at home. I had chapter 6 halfway completed when I replayed the game and realized I had butchered one of the characters' established personality.**

 **I'm not sure whether to continue on with what I have or rework the plot to make up for my error. I'm still working on this fanfic, but it might be a while until I can release a new chapter. Instead, I've spent my time updating chapters 1, 2, and 5.**

 **I'm still not exactly happy with the first part of this chapter, but it will have to do.**


End file.
